1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a sponge sleeve installation appliance for installing a sponge sleeve onto a roller. Particularly, this invention relates to a sponge sleeve installation appliance making the installation of a sponge sleeve on a roller much easier, the roller being installed in a CMP (Chemical Machine Polish) machine to wash a wafer.
2. Description of the Related Art
During a semiconductor manufacturing process, the process of CMP is widely used to polish the surface of a semiconductor layer. After polishing, the surface of the semiconductor layer must be cleaned before proceeding to the next step. A so-called xe2x80x9cwashing rollerxe2x80x9d is used for the washing. The washing roller mainly comprises a roller and a sponge sleeve surrounding the outer circumferential surface of the roller so that the sponge sleeve can be driven to rotate and clean the surface of a wafer. The material of the sponge sleeve is generally made of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA). However, such a material has a certain lifetime. In the past, the washing roller is wholly replaced when the sponge sleeve is worn out. However, the roller is still in good condition. If only the sponge sleeve is required to be replaced, that is going to be cost saving and environmental-protection-led. However, the installation of the sponge sleeve on the roller is quite difficult.
The inventor once found in the market an appliance for installing a sponge sleeve onto a roller. The conventional appliance comprises a chassis having two separate holders. One of the holders is slidable and used to clamp the roller, the other is used to hold a hollow cylinder steel net for bearing the sponge sleeve. When such an appliance is in operation, a bevel head is attached at the front end of the roller and the roller will be moved forward and inserted into the hollow net. Subsequently, the net and the sponge sleeve will be urged to expand by the bevel head and the roller in order to let the roller insert thereinto. Detaching from the holder, the roller could pass through the cylinder net and wear the sponge sleeve. However, such a conventional appliance is expansive, space-occupying and lacking mobility, and thus it is not suitable for the installation of the sponge sleeve on site.
A main object of the present invention is to provide a simple, inexpensive sponge sleeve installation appliance that is easy to install and has a high mobility in operation.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a sponge sleeve installation appliance that can have the sponge sleeve replaced at any place at a high efficiency.
To achieve the above objects, this invention discloses a sponge sleeve installation appliance for installing a sponge sleeve onto a roller, which comprises a longitudinal socket body including a sleeve portion and a tapered portion, the sleeve portion being of an outer circular diameter slightly larger than the inner diameter of the sponge sleeve which is not deformed and defining an interior space for accommodating at least part of the roller which can be inserted from the bottom of the sleeve portion, and the tapered portion being in a cone shape whose bottom is connected to the top of the sleeve portion protruding and tapering off from the sleeve portion in the longitudinal direction of the sleeve portion.
With the above structure, the sponge sleeve installation appliance will be of high mobility and easy installation as it is simple, inexpensive and easy to operate.
In a preferred embodiment, the appliance further comprises a base for bearing the roller. By means of the base, the installation of the sponge sleeve is easier.
In a further preferred embodiment, the socket body further including a grip portion whose bottom is connected to the top of the tapered portion protrudes from the tapered portion in the longitudinal direction of the sleeve portion. Thus, the socket body is easier to be drawn out the roller.
The above and the other objects, features, and advantages of this invention will become clearer in light of the following description of embodiments in reference to the following drawings.